Through The Dark (Niall Horan Fanfic)

Chapter 14

Niall's POV

I felt bad the moment I hung up on Aubree harshly. She didn't need me fucking up her life, too.

So, I called back the next day.

No answer.

There was no changing her mind.

And, I needed to focus on the band and performing every night, or I sure would be yelled at by management. Thank God they hadn't found out about Aubree. I don't know how they have hadn't, but they hadn't.

And thank God the boys didn't question me about her; I wasn't in the mood to talk.

I know I was being selfish and horrible, but I wished she would try for me.

I didn't know what it was like at all, what she was going through, but wasn't I worth a try?

Or did she not even like me?

I just wanted her to be happy.

So I guess if not answering my calls or texts makes her happy, I'd just stop calling or texting.

Aubree's POV

Going out to lunch with my "friends" would be fun if I didn't have social anxiety, depressed thoughts floating through my mind 24/7, and no appetite for any sort of food.

But I had all of that, if not more.

So I sat in silence while Marlene and Cassie and Payton and Gianna and Lily and Mia all held menus in front of their faces, discussing latest relationships with boys.

"Aubree, I love your sweater!"

I looked down at my clothing: a grey knit sweater Marlene had just bought me. "Thanks, Gianna."

I slightly smiled at her while the other girls all looked over at me at the end of the table. I hated compliments. I didn't know how to take them. And then everybody had their eyes on me.

I needed them to stop looking at me.

I took my water and sipped it through the plastic straw.

Finally Payton spoke up, "Marlene, who's your new boy now?"

Marlene always had a new guy, it was true. She didn't take offense to this question.

Marlene didn't take offense to anything. She laughed it off. Sure, that's what I did on the outside, laugh off the rude things people said and told them it was a good thing I didn't care about their opinions, that it didn't bother me. Well, part of that was true. I didn't care what people thought and said about me. But I did care what I thought about me, just because I couldn't walk away and stop caring about those thoughts. They stuck with me. So, whenever someone made a nasty comment about me, it engraved into my brain and stayed their, reminding me everyday. And, that, I did care about.

I couldn't just laugh it off.

Suddenly I was being questioned, by Payton, "Okay. I can't keep it in any longer. What's with you and Niall? And don't lie, it's everywhere. Just tell us!"

I stared at her. My heart pounded. Niall. "There's not much to tell, I haven't talked to him in three weeks. We're nothing."

And then I excused myself to the bathroom, slipping away from their questions.

I hid in a bathroom stall and collected myself. Or tried to at least.

Why did I get so nervous around people? Why couldn't I just talk to people?

I left the bathroom after way too long and returned to my seat, wanting to leave, but having no escape. I counted down the seconds left in my head until I could go "home" in "my" room and just sleep or read or write or go on my laptop or cry or something.